Eff Around & Find Out - 10/04/22
Tiny changes = BIG results, broken records + free NFT/course
I’m shocked.
I’ve written twelve newsletter issues, now (please give those a read; I thought they were pretty good, no bias =P), with little engagement.
But after switching my writing platform from Revue to Substack, and rebranding the newsletter title from UNFOCUSED to Eff Around & Find Out…
My opened emails went from under 30% to 67%.
Over DOUBLE the opens; and a complete inverse!
Not only am I loving the response, Substack also sends me collateral to help me promote my newsletter, better.
Two main points I wanted to share.
Sunk costs and other people’s opinions are horrible anchors.
Yes - It was a pain to switch platforms.
I had to export my subscribers from Revue and upload them onto Substack.
I had to revise a bunch of branded collateral and messaging for UNFOCUSED that were now irrelevant and useless.
I was also paralyzed by wondering if people thought I was a flip-flop, and that I couldn’t commit to anything long-term.
What helped me cut the anchor lines?
The question:
Do I want to be comfortable? Or do I want to help more people?
The statement:
What others think of me, is ultimately none of my business.
The strategy:
Do I feel pushed, or do I feel pulled?
I wrote about the push/pull strategy in a previous issue, here; and when I went through the exercise, I felt gravitated and delighted by the rebrand.
It was fun, relatable, and more relevant to what I want to talk about…which is trying new things in the hopes of either winning or learning (“losing” doesn’t exist in this newsletter), and sharing my findings with you.
In this case, I guess it does pay to eff around and find out.
All right, let’s get into it.
BUSINESS. For the umpteenth time
NFT. A free course + NFT
MEMES. We celebrate the wrong things
TWEETS.
BUSINESS. For the umpteenth time
If your material seems repetitive…you’re on the right track.
I recently made peace with the fact that I’m going to have to repeat myself probably 1,000 times (and maybe 1,000 times mote after that, if I’m reaching large audiences) if I want to make an impact.
The story I’ve been telling myself is that I have to create original content every time I publish an issue or social media post, in order to give value.
But that thinking is wrong.
Here’s why.
Consumers have short, spotty, and unfocused attention spans. They’re going to miss most or all of your messages. You’re competing with 4,000-10,000 ads a day. So, assuming you’re being as effective as possible, you still must repeat in order to have any shot.
The most iconic companies do it. Seth Godin reminded me on a recent podcast that Nike, Starbucks, Apple, and other brands we love aren’t loved because they deliver something new every single day. They are loved because they repeat the same message (and keep the same promises) every day.
You can make small tweaks, in order to “say the same thing 1,000 different ways”; because not all deliveries engage everybody the same. And that’s what market-testing is all about.
Do a mic-drop style of your message, that’s Twitter-friendly.
Expand on that message into bullet-point form, through a Twitter thread (which is what the algorithm favors, right now).
Reuse that script for TikTok (which is where most of the social media effort:attention ROI is most favorable).
Go long-form the same message, through a newsletter.
Do it again on a YouTube video.
Do it again another person’s newsletter.
Do it again on another person’s YouTube interview.
Do it again on another person’s podcast.
Do it again at a speaking event.
You get the idea.
So, repeat yourself.
Repeat yourself until consumers have to respond and find out why the hell you are so consistent with it.
I mean, you obviously believe in what you do, and truly believe you can help them, right?
Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, day after day.
It’s more likely that you’ll be sick and tired of hearing yourself, than the market will be.
Especially if you’re delivering as promised, and more.
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What do you think?
Any messages that you’re having trouble repeating?
Reply and let’s hear it. Happy to help if I can!
Free course on NFTs and the Metaverse (and a free NFT, too)
We’re interrupting our regularly-scheduled broadcast - where I usually give an update on NFTs I’ve been monitoring, acquired, or sold - to share something time-sensitive, extremely value, and free!
If you know me for a minute, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of @punk6529, for his deep thinking and contributions in the Web3 space.
I mean, I even bought his first “gm” tweet as an NFT.
The next step in true fandom is getting a restraining order lol.
He Tweeted about a free course he’s teaching about NFTs and the Metaverse.
And anything he teaches is valuable, and with generous intent.
Not only that, he’s giving everybody who signs up for a course, a free NFT (by this Thursday, though!).
Not that the NFT is going to be worth a ton of money (I can dream, though); but I want to support anything and everything he does, and this could probably unlock some utility in the future that we don’t even know, yet.
But at the very least, you’ll be in good community and learning from the best in the space. And the NFT looks pretty cool.
By the way, I am not sponsored by this post, nor does @punk6529 even know I’m sharing this.
This is purely motivated by my mission to help others; and my experience with @punk6529’s content has always leveled me up in the space.
See ya in class (digitally)!
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All of this is for entertainment/informational purposes only, okay? And all of these decisions were unique to me.
BUT if you’re open to it, let me know what NFTs you’ve gotten into, sold, and are looking at!
MEMES. We celebrate the wrong things
TWEETS.
That’s it!
Thanks for effing around and finding out with me.
Hope you find my content useful (or fun, at least?)!
Any questions? Suggestions to make this better?
Reply and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
And don’t forget to support my work by subscribing (it’s free)!